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Party Ideas

Halloween is over, and it was wonderful. Plenty of magic shows, plenty of puppet shows, and plenty of scary fun. And now we have Christmas to look forward to. But what about the six weeks in between? The dreary, wintery, wet and miserable weeks of darkness and chill? You can brighten up the winter by organising a party - forget the bouncy castles, and have a special treat. We provide magic shows and puppet shows (as well as clowns, face-painters, etc) throughout Cork and Munster, and we love standing by a fire in someone's living room, bringing a bit of winter magic to their lives.

When I was a lad communions were completely different from today. We came home from the church - with £30, not €1,000, in our pocket - and the family gathered for a fancy dinner. Then everyone went home. By four the suit was off and I was back to being a boy. One friend was brought to Bunratty Castle for the afternoon. That was the height of poshness.

Now it has become a far more fancy affair, with bouncy castles, magicians, catered dinner. But it is still great fun for the kids, and that is what we need to remember.

Summer is a great time for family. Look back on your own summers - what days do you still remember? I enjoyed playing with my friends, going for long cycles, swimming at Lahinch. But the days I still remember best were the days we all bundled into the car and headed off for a family picnic. We used to go to the Bridges of Ross out on the Loophead Pinensula. We would stop in Kilkee along the way. The Bridges are gone now - a natural feature sculpted over tens of thousands of years by nature. destroyed by Clare County Council in seconds in a mis-guided safety drive a number of years ago.

Halloween is my favorite time of the year. The leaves are turning, painting the hills in a beautiful patchwork. The weather (apart from the last few days!) is crisp and cold. And you can almost feel the magic in the air.

Even as a child I was fascinated by the legends - the ghosts, the vampires, the witches and warlocks. I even became one myself.

That magic makes Halloween so special. We live in a practical age, where children have access to more information by the age of ten than we managed to accumulate in three times that duration.

I got hooked on variety acts as a child. I loved magicians, circuses, puppet theaters. Those were the things that lifted me out of the ordinary world and threw me into a world of the imagination, where anything was possible. Books were great (still are) and movies were all right. But nothing topped a live act.

As we get older we get fossilized, and we stop believing that the world is full of wonderful opportunities. But children still have that sense of infinite possibilities. That is why it is such a joy to entertain them.

I had an interesting show over the weekend. The birthday boy loves vampires, so I was asked could I do the magic as a vampire. Of course I could. I wore a tux, and a long flowing black cloak, and adjusted my patter. I brought a werewolf instead of a taking dog, and painted the faces as vampires, wolfmen, ghouls, skulls, etc.

On Wednesday I am doing a mad scientist at a party. In the past I have been asked for pirates. It is all possible. If your child has an interest, why not ask whoever provides the entertainment if they can accommodate that interest.

Here's a neat summer idea - have a pancake party. My friend Laurent is the best crepe man in Cork. A native of Britanny, you might have seen him flipping the pancakes at Mahon Point or the Douglas Shopping Centre at the farmer's markets. Now he is brancing into the private market, and is available to give a Gallic flavour to your party.

It is great fun for the kids, because they get to see their pancake being made, from batter to completion, and they get to choose from a wide range of fillings, both sweet and savory.

May is communion season, and the bad news is that you might already have left it too late to book some communion entertainment. But maybe not - it is worth a phone around to see who has some availability. At this age children are moving beyond the clowns and puppets, but still love a good magic show. They also enjoy bouncy castles. Some of the bouncy castles have a slide as well, which makes them perfect for those warm summer days we hope Cork is going to experience!

A good idea might be to hold a private family celebration on the Saturday of the communion, and a proper party the following day.

Lots of people seem to have the blinkers on when it comes to children's entertainment. First they look for a clown. Then they consider a magician or a puppet show. Then they sit back and scratch their heads, out of inspiration. So here are some alternatives.

Arts and Crafts

There are several art teachers and others who will call to the house and help your children with painting, weaving, felt work, pottery, and so on. Children love working on crafts, and they have a unique momento of the party to bring home at the end.

Planning a party can be stressful, but if you follow my simple guidelines, you can make it all so much easier.

Firstly, let me introduce myself. The kids call me Tony Baloney, and I am one of the busiest magicians in Cork - in fact, all over Munster. I have been doing this for twenty years (initially in Limerick, then the last three years in Cork) and I have picked up a lot of party ideas over the years. Here are my top five tips.

1) PARTY FOOD

Kids love party food, but if you switch some of the sweets for plates of sliced apples or raisins, and perhaps a few plates of nuts, you will give kids the treats they like without all the E numbers.